French Aircraft Carrier deploys to Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf, will
train with U.S. Navy

The French Navy announced its carrier battle group (CVBG) just deployed
for Operation “Bois Belleau”. The group is center on the
French Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier Charles de Gaulle (R91). Its
escort is consists in the Horizon class AAW Destroyer Forbin (D620),
the Georges
Leygues class anti-submarine Frigate Jean de Vienne (D643),
the Durance class replenishment oiler Meuse (A607) and Rubis class SSN
(nuclear-powered attack submarine)

The French Navy likely named the Operation “Bois Belleau”
(Belleau Wood, a famous WWI battle that took place in France and involved
the US Army and US Marine Corps) because some major joint Marine Nationale
(French Navy) – U.S. Navy maneuvers and exercises are planned.
According to the French Navy, operation Bois Belleau will enable the
French and US navies to reach the highest level of cooperation to
date. The U.S. Carrier Battle Group formed around the Nimitz class
Aircraft Carrier USS Harry S. Truman, will be present in the Arabian
Sea and the Persian Gulf at the same time. There will be a joint deployment
and close cooperation for five weeks between the two CVBGs. France
and the United States are leading strategic partners and the only
nations to deploy nuclear-powered aircraft carriers capable of projecting
massive fire-power.

The presence of the Charles de Gaulle will also be an opportunity
for the French Navy to conduct high-level cooperation with partner
countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

As emphasized in the recent White Paper on Defense, the northern
region of the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf is an area where French
interests are major. France permanently deploys warships in this area
for operations against piracy (EU Atalanta mission), war on terror
(Task Forces150 and 152), or for purely domestic operations. It is
the sixth time since 2001 that Charles de Gaulle will operate in the
northern Indian Ocean.